The present invention relates, in general, to child seat mounting arrangements in vehicles. More particularly, the invention relates to a tether routing device employed in a child seat mounting arrangement for directing a tether connected to an upper portion of a child seat to a remotely positioned seat anchor for connection thereto. In one embodiment, the tether routing apparatus is disposed on a vehicle frame adjacent a top portion of a fixed seat back and is thereby used for connecting a tether to the vehicle frame and redirecting the same to a seat anchor disposed near a bottom portion of the vehicle seat back. The tether routing apparatus will be described with particular reference to this embodiment, but it is to be appreciated that the tether routing apparatus is also amenable to like applications.
For safety considerations and/or to comply with vehicle safety regulations (e.g., Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, or FMVSS, 225), manufacturers of child safety seats for vehicles typically include a top tether strap designed to secure a top portion of a child safety seat to a vehicle's body or frame. Additionally, the top tether strap can improve seat stability and reduce the potential for head injury. In conventional passenger vehicles, a child seat is installed in the rear seat of a vehicle and uses the seatbelt or adjacent seat anchors to secure a bottom portion of the child seat. The child seat top tether, which often employs a hook or latch device, is used to secure the top portion of the child seat to an independent anchor provided in the vehicle for this purpose.
In many vehicles, the top tether anchor is disposed adjacent an upper portion of a rear seat back (such as on a vehicle's parcel shelf) or behind the rear seat back adjacent a lower portion thereof with access provided by the seat back being movable or through a cargo area immediately adjacent the rear seat back. Often, the top tether anchor must be remotely positioned relative to the upper portion of the child seat so that the tether can be properly employed by remaining taught after installation. However, in some vehicles, the top tether anchor cannot be provided in either of the aforementioned positions due to the vehicle's configuration. For example, pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles have no rear parcel shelf so the tether anchor cannot be provided thereon. Further, some vehicles (such as a pickup truck) also have no accessible cargo space immediately adjacent the rear seat back. More particularly, in some vehicles, the rear seat back is immediately adjacent a rear cabin wall and any cargo space behind the rear seat is provided beyond this rear cabin wall in a load-carrying bed. Still further, pickup truck type vehicles sometimes employ fixed rear seats adjacent the rear cabin wall (i.e., seats which are not movable, pivotally or otherwise) and therefore no access is available for a top tether anchor disposed behind the rear seat back adjacent a bottom portion thereof.
In instances where the top tether anchor cannot be provided adjacent an upper portion of the rear seat back or behind the rear seat back, a tether routing device may be necessary. Typically, when a tether routing device is employed, it is disposed adjacent an upper portion of the rear seat back. The tether engages and is directed by the tether routing device such that the tether can then extend to a forward lower portion of the rear seat back and be connected to a top tether anchor provided for this purpose. In other words, vehicles employing fixed rear seat backs can meet regulations for child seat tether anchoring by employing a routing device that connects the tether to a top portion of the fixed rear seat back and re-directs the tether toward a top tether anchor which is typically provided in the seat bite between the rear seat back and the lower seating portion upon which a passenger sits.
In one example, the Toyota Tundra employs multiple tether routing devices. These devices include an anchor plate secured to a fixed rear seat portion of the Tundra's vehicle body by a bolt. Either an open-loop or a closed-loop member is sandwiched between the anchor plate and the vehicle body and the loop member is welded to the anchor plate. The bolt connection between the plate and the vehicle body is provided for preventing the loop from separating from the vehicle body. Anti-rotation tabs can be provided on or extending from the anchor plate to cooperatively engage the vehicle body for limiting rotation of the anchor plate relative to the vehicle body.
Difficulties associated with tether routing devices can include the need for a consumer to thread the tether through the tether routing device prior to latching the tether to an appropriate tether anchor. Other difficulties include misuse by consumers or vehicle owners. For example, sometimes attempts are made to latch the top tether directly to the tether routing device. This results in an improper installation which may compromise the safety of the passenger residing in the child safety seat. Still other difficulties include the need for the tether routing device to be fixedly secured to the body structure of the vehicle. In tether routing devices which employ an open loop design, thereby eliminating the need to thread the tether through a closed loop, there is a concern that the tether could inadvertently slide off the tether routing device. Other considerations include the need for a tether routing device that is relatively easy to install in a vehicle during the manufacture of the vehicle.